poisoning yourself by riding - Page 2

02-08-2007, 08:57 PM

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>
> Has anyone here experienced chronic lung sickness that can be traced
> back to when they started riding more/harder?
>
> I think I have developed chronic lung inflammation after an enjoable
> season of riding on urban CA. By riding a road bike alongside with
> cars you are reduce polution and get in shape, but you are poison
> yourself with car emissions. Cyclists, especially when going hard,
> expose their lower airways and alveoli to pollution at least 10 times
> more compared to the case of no exertion (i.e. compared to car
> drivers). A cyclist going hard passes at least 100 lliters of air
> through his/her lungs per minute (compared to ~10 liters per minute
> when not exertiing, assuming 500 ml average breaths and ~20 breaths
> per minute). Not everyone will develop problems, but susceptible
> people will. If I could go back, I would have switched to m.biking or
> trail running.

Regarding the article you referenced... if you follow the science, rather
than the emotion, you discover an interesting thing about ozone formation.
Something I didn't know until looking this up just now. Check out this link-
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There's a phenomenon called "ozone quenching" which occurs in the areas
where nitrogen oxides are emitted by gas-burning vehicles. Thus ozone
monitoring facilities located near freeways & bus terminals etc show
*depressed* levels of ozone. Because ozone isn't formed at ground level...
it occurs higher up in the air. Autos belching out bad stuff are bad, but
the immediate effect on the area in which you're riding, as far as ozone is
concerned, is ironically beneficial. Very bizarre.

Of course, ozone is only a piece of the puzzle. There are many other things
coming out of tailpipes that are undeniably bad for you. But if you're
worried about ozone, you're likely to get MORE of it, not less, by choosing
mountain biking or trail running. Strange but true.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

02-08-2007, 09:34 PM

I did not say that I was paranoid about ozone specifically; in fact, I
react to small particulate pollution - PM2.5, and not to ozone (by
following air quality forcasts which report at least 5 different
pollutants - CO, NO2, O3, PM10, PM2.5, etc).

02-08-2007, 09:47 PM

Mark Hickey wrote:
> "[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:
>
> >[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
> >
> >Has anyone here experienced chronic lung sickness that can be traced
> >back to when they started riding more/harder?
> >
> >I think I have developed chronic lung inflammation after an enjoable
> >season of riding on urban CA. By riding a road bike alongside with
> >cars you are reduce polution and get in shape, but you are poison
> >yourself with car emissions.
....
> Hmmmmm... the information I've read suggests that the air the cyclists
> breath is CLEANER than that of the motorist (at least, those in a
> closed vehicle), because of the trapping of the noxious gasses in the
> ****pit, and the fact that they tend to trail along nose to tail.

That agrees with what I remember of a study done many
years ago in the Washington, DC area comparing cycle
commuters to motorists along the same route. As I recall,
they took blood samples and analyzed them for the
presence of air pollution components and concluded
that the cyclists were less affected than the motorists.
I believe there was a summary of the study in the LAB
(LAW back then) magazine. Unfortunately I don't
recall the details and couldn't find online references.

In addition to the cars traveling ' nose to tail' there is also
the factor that car air intakes are generally lower than
cyclists' heads. Also the cyclist has more of an
opportunity to minimize exposure to spot concentrations
of pollution - on my bike I'll slow down and hold my breath for
a short period if a truck comes by belching black smoke.

02-09-2007, 02:58 AM

In article <1170991400.181327.202020@m58g2000cwm.googlegroups .com>,
"[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:

> > Get yourself to a lung specialist. Don't speculate.
>
> I've had many, and they were all a joke (including very honored ones).

this is kind of a red flag to me.

..max

02-09-2007, 04:39 AM

On Feb 8, 9:24 pm, Mark Hickey <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:
> "David L. Johnson" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:
>
> >Mark Hickey wrote:
>
> >> I've ridden in places that would make the air in Los Angeles look
> >> positively pristine, and never had any major lung issues (though I
> >> could feel "something wrong" after a long ride in really bad air).
>
> >OK, Mark. I'll bite. Where would the air in LA seem pristine by
> >comparison?
>
> China, for example (and Khatmandu, Nepal - which came as a real
> surprise to me - I was expecting the air to be pristine there). On a
> bad day in China, you literally couldn't see a hint of a building
> across a city street.
>
> Mark Hickey
> Habanero Cycleshttp://www.habcycles.com
> Home of the $795 ti frame

Great, I'm sure they care about the recent conference in France.

02-09-2007, 05:36 AM

>> Get yourself to a lung specialist. Don't speculate.
>
> I've had many, and they were all a joke (including very honored ones).
>
> did you brochitis resolve when you left Berlin?

1. Yes, it resolved in 3 weeks. In the meantime, I was sick as a dog.
2. This comment reminds me of my mother who used to get all of her medical
advice from her friends in her Sunday school class. I would ask her how
many of her friends had been to medical school....

The bottom line is, don't tell us that lung specialists are "jokes." That
says more about you than it does about the doctors.

Pat in TX
>

02-09-2007, 11:12 AM

> The bottom line is, don't tell us that lung specialists are "jokes." That
> says more about you than it does about the doctors.

The sole fact that I still don't have a diagnosis after more than a
year, and have to resort to speculations and asking people around on
the UseNet says it all. In fact, I think the whole healthcare system
is a "joke".

02-09-2007, 12:13 PM

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ] wrote:
>> The bottom line is, don't tell us that lung specialists are "jokes." That
>> says more about you than it does about the doctors.
>
> The sole fact that I still don't have a diagnosis after more than a
> year, and have to resort to speculations and asking people around on
> the UseNet says it all. In fact, I think the whole healthcare system
> is a "joke".

If you have contempt for the entire health care system, have you
considered asking for help from a broad range of people--say over the
Internet--who have never met you and have absolutely NO medical training
whatsoever?

02-09-2007, 12:13 PM

Neil Brooks wrote:
> [Only registered and activated users can see links. ] wrote:
>>> The bottom line is, don't tell us that lung specialists are "jokes."
>>> That
>>> says more about you than it does about the doctors.
>>
>> The sole fact that I still don't have a diagnosis after more than a
>> year, and have to resort to speculations and asking people around on
>> the UseNet says it all. In fact, I think the whole healthcare system
>> is a "joke".
>
> If you have contempt for the entire health care system, have you
> considered asking for help from a broad range of people--say over the
> Internet--who have never met you and have absolutely NO medical training
> whatsoever?

Sorry. I realize that's basically what you said, but ....

02-09-2007, 01:00 PM

> Sorry. I realize that's basically what you said, but ....

The OP was about warning people that riding (especially riding hard)
is not necessarily a healthy thing to do, at least in polluted areas,
and to ask if anyone has had similar experience getting sick and,
probably, getting appropriate treatment (i haven't got any yet).